Curriculum Overview

Knowing the Open Ocean

Far from shore, where the ocean horizon touches the sky, is the vast region called open ocean. Equally home to microscopic plankton and titanic whales, this single, global ocean covers almost three quarters of Earth's surface. Never still, winds and ocean currents move food, nutrients, animals, algae, ships, garbage...anything. Movement of ocean water also creates pockets of amazing productivity that can be depleted from overfishing.